Ellie's Choice
by fscomeau
Summary: Far from giving up after a "minor setback", the Fireflies send their top agent on the tracks of Ellie and Joel with one clear objective. As Ellie meets the young and daydreaming Emilio, no one can expect what is going to happen. Picking up straight at the end of "The Last of Us," this story is UPDATED EVERY MONDAY.
1. Chapter 1 - Sergeant Major

_*** Huge thanks to all my supporters. Thank you for your feedback and follows, as always!***_

Chapter 1 – Sergeant Major

General MacKenzie glanced at the cold, dead body of Marlene as two men covered it with a blanket. The work of an absolute coward, a coward who had shot her twice – once in the abdomen, another in the head as she was ramping, desperately clinging to her life. This was an execution – nothing more, nothing less.

Marlene had been the leader of the Fireflies for as long as he could remember; now, as the second-in-command, the role would naturally become his.

Joel, that was his name, was nothing but a cold-blooded killer. MacKenzie had urged Marlene to simply shoot him while he was still unconscious. She had refused, still ecstatic that this girl – what was her name already… Ellie? – would suddenly reappear out of nowhere, alive and unhurt.

That day, Joel had killed more of his men than he could count. All good men, all soldiers, fully committed to the cause. He had even killed their doctor – perhaps the top specialist treating the infection worldwide– and two nurses who had done absolutely nothing wrong. Innocents. And all this for what? A girl that wasn't even his daughter?

They had been so close! They had the cure literally right under their nose and now it was gone.

But MacKenzie wouldn't give up. A former General of the US Army, he had been working with the Fireflies for nearly ten years of his life; he wouldn't quit no matter what.

Deeply immersed in his thoughts, MacKenzie heard someone open a door behind him The corporal spoke without asking permission or even saluting him.

"It's your son, sir," said the corporal. "Sir, he has started to spit. Also, a man insists _strongly_ on seeing you right now. He's in your office."

MacKenzie sighed heavily: "Sir." Apparently, titles meant nothing anymore. In a way, he couldn't blame him; everyone was so depressed after the recent rampage that formalities had lost most of their meaning. Everyone had lost a colleague, a friend, a brother, a sister due to this… _monster_. And at this moment, reality hit him stone cold: they were done. The Fireflies were finished.

Slowly, he followed the corporal to a small, confined room. The romm was guarded at all times; a large bulletproof window in the middle of the room allowed the general to see his son, who was slowly going through the stages of the infection and now becoming a bloater. In a year, mere months perhaps, he would die and explode in a cloud of spores. General MacKenzie shook his head in disbelief and dismissed the corporal from the room.

"We were so close, son," said the General, his fists clenched in anger. "We were so close, Timmy. So, so close – you have no idea. But I will not give up. I had sworn we would find a cure to this madness and I _will_ get my son back!"

The General wiped his eyes, remembering the day his son got infected. It was his fault, his and his alone; he was the one who had assigned him to that mission. Timmy, that day, came back with a bite on his arm. There was nothing to do. That very day, the General had abandoned everything – his position in the Army, his office – to join the Fireflies in their quest for a cure.

"I'll bring you back, son. I promise!" repeated the man in tears. For a second, he felt relieved no one could see him in that state. "I won't give up – I will find a cure for you!" Outside the room, the two guards and the corporal dropped their eyes to the ground, none of them wishing - or willing - to tell the general that his son was long gone, that the cordyceps had since long overtaken his brain and that no cure would ever bring him back. His son, for all things practical, was dead.

Slowly regaining his senses, the General left the room, walking briskly to his office. Someone, somehow, was waiting for him. As he entered the room, the general saw a tall, large, muscled up man in a military uniform. Instantly, the man stood up, giving him a military salute.

"Permission to speak, GENERAL!" said the man very loudly and directly.

"Permission granted," replied the old man sternly. "What do you want, s…" The General stopped talking abruptly, unable to read the man's rank.

"Sergeant Major John Stemper, Delta Force!" yelled the young man. "I am here at your orders, GENERAL!"

A delta force soldier… The elite of the elite of the US Army. After all these years? At this very moment, this seemed almost too good to be true.

"Marlene was a great woman and a great soldier, GENERAL! With your permission, I would want to fulfill her life mission, and also avenge her death! That's what Marlene would have wanted, GENERAL."

Without a word, the General sat down in his chair, a very high-quality and clean leather recliners. They didn't make chairs like that anymore. The man kept talking.

"Already have my force assembled, GENERAL! Also, already received all relevant intel! We believe we know where the man and the girl might be: the man has a brother named 'Tommy' who is rumored to have a settlement somewhere in Wyoming. Stand ready to leave right now. At your orders, SIR!"

Clearlt, the man was no amateur, and to say that he respected his rank even after the general had betrayed the Army was nothing short of a miracle.

"My orders?" said MacKenzie. "You seem better informed than I do, Sergent Major," said the general, smiling sadly.

"Find the girl - find Ellie, no matter where she hides. Capture her and bring her back here, alive. More than anything, it is my understanding that we need her brain - intact. GENERAL, I will track her to the end of this world if I have to. I, however, have a favor to ask, if I may do so!"

"Ask away, Sergeant Major," replied the old man stoically.

"GENERAL, it is my understanding that the girl must die for a vaccine to be made. It is also my understanding that her brain must eventually be extracted for that very reason. So, when that happens, I would want to be in the same room as her as the operation is done, as she dies. And I would want her to be fully conscious and aware of what is happening as we remove her brain. No anesthesic, no painkillers - nothing."

The Sergeant Major smiled, subtly licking his lips as the General winced, shaking his head in disgust. He couldn't understand. Many years ago, the sergeant would have saved lives, freed hostages or disarmed bombs; today, he wanted to… To…

"With this 'Joel' observing the whole process, if possible," Stemper thought to himself. "This would imply keeping Joel alive all this time," he quickly calculated, "but it's definitely doable."

The general sighed. "Infection did change humanity, after all," he thought. But after Joel's rampage, the Fireflies were cruelly understaffed; he couldn't afford to send anyone to track Joel and Ellie, let alone someone who would have any chance of success against this… _monster_. At this moment, this Delta Force officer was nothing short of a blessing and MacKenzie was in no position to refuse his relatively simple request. Slowly, the general nodded in approval.

For a reason he couldn't really explain, John Stemper had always enjoyed seeing people – especially children – suffer.


	2. Chapter 2 - Tommysville

Chapter 2 – Tommysville

"Swear to me. Swear to me that everything that you said about the Fireflies is true."

Joel looked at her directly in the eyes: he couldn't appear to be hesitant, even for a second.

"I swear," he simply stated.

She didn't believe him for a second, of course. This whole situation made no sense. After one year of running after the Fireflies, after finally getting so close, she had simply woken up on the backseat of a car. In an hospital gown.

If what Joel had said was really the truth – that there were several others like her and that the Fireflies had given up finding a cure – then there was no reason they couldn't have stayed at the hospital for some time. Eat, rest a bit – after nearly drowning, this seemed like the most logical thing to do. At the very least, Joel would have let her say goodbye to Marlene.

Looking back at it, it was clear Joel had to leave precipitately. Did she really want to know, anyway? She was alive, she was well and she wasn't _alone._ After everything, Ellie had finally found… someone. Someone who cared for her.

"Okay," she simply replied.

It had been nearly nine months since they had last been at Tommy's camp and, already, the place had changed immensely. It was no longer a simple camp; there were now several rows of little housings, all identical and visibly assembled in a rush, extending over hundreds of feet. A large wall concrete wall, coupled with several towers, protected the entire perimeter. The highest one, located near the middle of the settlement, was the highest. Bandits could no longer attack and loot the place so easily; for all things practical, this was now a city.

"People are _living_ in there," she thought. "They have… _houses_. Maybe even families…" With a bit of luck, she could find someone her age to play with. Maybe even enjoy an afternoon without the fear of being attacked by clickers, bloaters or… whatever worse.

She still thought about him all the time. David. She would never forget him and what he tried to do. And to say that people like him were sharing this world with her, right now… What would her future even look like? After everything she had lived through, after all she had lost – her mother, her friends.. Could it be? Could she live some kind of normal life with Joel?

As they approached the settlement, Ellie suddenly heard a loud gunshot; a rock right in front of air jumped several feet in the air, the result of a very powerful rifle.

"Don't move!" perted Joel. "It's a warning shot – don't move." At first, he had thought the tower in the middle of the town wasn't high enough; looking back at it, it was the result of a highly skilled sniper. Had he meant to kill then, they would have been dead by now.

Less than a minute later, the gate opened and Tommy, Maria and several other men rushed towards them. "So they are alive!" thought Ellie. Things were looking better and better.

Overjoyed, Tommy ran even faster towards Joel and Ellie, momentarily turning his back on them to wave back at the tower

"Joel! Ellie!" he said. "I'm so glad you came back! How was it? Did you find the Fireflies?" said Tommy quickly, out of breath. For a moment after seeing them, he had hoped that everything would be over; twenty years later, finally, there would be a cure and the infection would be gone.

"We found them alright," said Joel, sadly. "Sadly… Well…"

"They've given up on finding a cure," said Ellie with some sort of chagrin in her voice. "Apparently, there are dozens of people like me."

"Yeah," repeated Joel sternly.

Tommy immediately knew when his brother was lying: his years in the Fireflies had taught him first that Marlene would never give up, second that there had never been any other "immune." The odds that dozens would just appear out of nowhere seemed strikingly low.

He had lied to her. "Sara… of course," he thought to himself. "I should have known." From their body languages, it was clear both were much closer than the last time he had seen them. For all things practical, Joel was now Ellie's father, or at the very least her guardian.

But Joel had taken his decision and Tommy would respect it. While this last-minute lie had tempered his enthusiasm quite a bit, he was still extremely happy to see them... Alive. After all this time, the brothers would be reunited, again. And with bandits establishing a heavy camp nearby, the town could definitely use a man like Joel. Last of all, Ellie would be a more than welcome addition as children in general were far too rare in this world; although several couples had had babies in recent months (always a happy occasion – Tommy "wasn't far behind," would say Maria), there were fewer than two dozen teenagers in the camp at the moment.

"Well, I'm very glad you chose to come back. You two are more than welcome here." In a swift move, Tommy invited them inside the town. "After the dam attack, we really improved security. You two will be safe here. Come, we'll find you a house."

"A house?" repeated Ellie. This was almost too good to be true: sleeping with a roof over her head. Maybe even in a bed. Maybe even with a pillow!

The group entered what looked to be the "town hall" – taller, larger and better built than the rest of building - Tommy immediately went to check the list of available settlements. The place was starting to get overcrowded; in recent months, more and more people – families, sometimes – came to live there. Recently, they had started to build a new section, but it wouldn't be ready for some time. For now, the place was full, without a single available house.

"How is this place called?" asked Ellie.

"Well," replied Maria, "We like to call it 'Tommysville'."

"Wow, and I thought I was bad at naming my horse…" Ellie gulped, remembering that day in full… Again…

"It actually started as a joke," laughed Tommy, "Someone asked how it should be called and I said 'Tommysville'. And with time, well, it kind of became the name of the place."

"And you're the mayor?" joked Joel.

"Actually, there isn't any mayor. Although I have a certain influence, we all take the decisions collectively."

"He's the mayor," simple stated Maria. Tommy was a respected leader and his "ideas" rarely went challenged; in fact, Tommy was an excellent planner and leader with a innate sense of justice and equity for everyone. Tommy also arbitrated conflicts as well as mostminor crimes in town; more serious crimes, he supposed, would have to be judged by a jury. These crimes – murder, rape, aggravated assault – thankfully hadn't happened in his town yet.

At that precise moment, Ellie heard a loud shot followed by a pause; then, she head another gunshot, another pause and then, finally, four more shots. Although she had no idea at the time, mere meters from the concrete walls, four people were laying on the ground, dead.


	3. Chapter 3 - Our Protector

Chapter 3 – Our protector

"Don't be scared, that's him," said Tommy.

"Who's 'him'?" asked Joel.

"Our protector. You'll meet him later," muttered Tommy. For now, he was more concerned about finding Joel a house. In recent days, the immigration had been very important and many more people than they were ready to accept had arrived. Right now, all fully-built houses were occupied. Tommysville had only one kind of residence: two bedroom, one kitchen and one bathroom. Simple yet efficient; reusing the same plan allowed builders to work very efficiently and a house could be built in mere days. In an optional scenario, the parents would share a room and the kids would share the other bedroom. In reality, six, seven, eight people sometimes often crowded the place, sleeping on the kitchen's floor or everywhere they could.

There was one house, however, that only had two people: a mother and her son. With so many places being overcrowded, it simply didn't seem fair that a woman was able to live alone with her child . With Joel, they would be four; Tommy smiled, imaging "A mother, a father, a son and a daughter" living all together.

The house, however, was kind of a special case. The woman living there could be… quite nasty, and no one placed with her wanted to stick there for very long; many had preferred the wilderness. Already, she had already broken the nose of two men who stayed there.

Emma was a former kickboxing champion and always justified her actions. Typically, it would be because after rebuking the ("strong," she alledged) advances of a man. "A strong woman. That's exactly what my brother needs!" whispered Tommy. Emma, in fact, was a lot like Tess – Tommy had heard of what had happened to her from another survivor.

"So, that crazy man shooting everything in the tower?" asked Ellie.

"That's our protector," replied another man. "William, ex-Army sniper."

"William came to live with us around six months ago," continued Maria. "He practically lives in that tower full-time, now. He's an elite sniper. About two months ago, we were attacked by a large group of hunters during the night. Before we could even realize what had happened… William had killed them all. Sniped. How many were there, Tommy?"

"Seventeen," replied Tommy. "We heard seventeen gunshots… and we found seventeen bodies scattered on the hills behind you. And if that wasn't enough, he shot down in the middle of the night, in full darkness."

"We obviously also have a large militia force, well-trained well-equipped and ready to react to any threat, but…" added Maria, proud to be herself the leader of that force. "

"This man is crazy," interrupted the man. "He never comes out of his tower – like never, ever. Nobody has ever seen him out. Some people, not me, met him once the day he arrived and then never again. I don't think he ever comes down. Hell, he doesn't let anyone up neither. It's his place.

"But ever since he arrived," continued Maria. "Not a single person in town has died. This man is a true hero."

Tommy, like his wife considered William to be the town's biggest blessing. In many ways, William was considered a hero in town: at school, kids often drew him, alone in his tower, protecting them all against everything. Sometimes, they would draw him with wings, calling him "Guardian Angel." From his rare notes and communication with him, Tommy _knew _William kept these drawing preciously, hanging them all on the walls of his tower.

"One day," continued another man, visibly as impressed with William as Maria, "He even shot down a tank. Nobody knows how he did it, but he fucking shot it down!"

Tommy laughed, knowing the answer was simple: William had armor-piercing ammo. In another of his feats, he had shot down the driver of an Abrams tank directly through the heart, cutting through the front armor. He had then waited for over eight hours for other passengers to leave before executing them as they tried to run away. No doubt: William was not only an Army man, but a professional, who only asked for a little food and water in exchange for his services.

Over the past few months, there had been many women – recent widows, single mothers or survivors themselves - very interested in getting to know him better. But William was a maverick, interesting only in shooting and protecting the town, or so it would appear. Every day and every night, he stayed in his tower, doing his job with care and attention. Aside from a bathroom on the first floor (where Tommy would leave the food and water for the week), William never left his post, nor did talk to anyone or ask for anything special.

Very far in the "clouds," as he would often call his place during his long monologues with himself, William looked at the newcomers. They looked sympathetic and Tommy definitely seemed the trust them – maybe even _like _them. Whenever a new person arrived, William closely inspected them through his scope, quickly making a decision. The last thing he wanted was to shoot down an innocent. Typically, he shot at least two warnings shots before reevaluating the situation; if the newcomers looked aggressive, or about to attack – William was an excellent judge of character, even from that distance – then he would kill them.

The man had a girl with him, obviously, so he was more than likely another settler. Good. William was happy: the more people he had to protect, the better. A few minutes ago, he had killed four people – clearly bandits, hunters – yet he did not feel the slightest hint of remorse or regret. For a moment, he shivered in fear: killing had become… _Routine_.

He would focus his next meditation towards this element.

Turning around, he looked at his supply of ammo, slightly worried. Realizing he had enough for many years, he sighed in relief. Then, he observed his night vision scope, and finally his thermal vision attachment. He checked his ammo supply and equipment hundreds of times per day. In his spare time, if one could say that, William loved to clean and maintain them in perfect condition as he knew it might save his life one day.

Still smiling, William looked at the insignia on his uniform – a black dagger in a red arrowhead – one of his many proud souvenirs as a sniper of the Delta Forces. "Old time," he muttered, as if someone could hear him.


	4. Chapter 4 - Emma

Chapter 4 - Emma

Emma sighed as she saw Tommy approaching her house; once again, he would force place another family with her and then chivvy her into marrying, taking a husband, starting a family and all of that. Emma already had a family – she had Emilio, and it was enough.

It was obvious to all but the most obtuse that Tommy wanted the population to grow as quickly as possible, with little regards to things such as "feelings" or "desires." Emma had met several women who had married just for the added protection of a husband; clearly, men had some sort of visceral need to protect those who were dear to them, often at the peril of their own lives.

But Emma did not need anyone's protection. A very strong woman, she had survived in the wild, killing waves of clickers and even a few spitters without difficulty. Their last encounter, however, had been a close call and Emma had preferred the safety of walls and guard towers.

Still, Emma had nothing but sour souvenirs of every person she had been forced to share her house with. Brutes – all of them. The first man Tommy had sent, a close friend of his, had crept into her bed in the middle of the night. Emma had awaken to him groping her and had reacted stiffly by punching him in the face, breaking the man's nose and several of his teeth. The second had been a bit more subtle in his approach, but no more less vicious; he had made his final mistake the day he threatened Emilio, her son, stating he "turn this sissy into something."

But of all the men who had came to live with her, none had been worse than the third: a tall, large, disheveled and violent man who, during his very first minutes with them, had committed the worst mistake of all: hitting Emilio. An ex-soldier and veteran – exactly like the hairy man who seemed to be walking alongside Tommy right now - the man had made a habit of getting respect through fear and intimidation. A tough fight had followed, with Emma received several powerful blows, but she had finally gotten the upper hand with a couple of well-placed knees, breaking several of the man's ribs.

Ever since then, Tommy had never attempted to place someone else with Emma. That is, until today, apparently.

It was sometimes hard to share the same town, to walk on the same streets and stand in the same lines for food as the men she had rejected. Thankfully, it was a rather huge town, and Emma's daily schedule kept her busy most of the time; her close friendship with Maria, Tommy's wife, protected her from any form of retaliation. Some nights, however, Emma had nightmares where she failed to protect her son and where that third man overpowered her and then proceeding to beat his son within inches of his life, right in front of her. She would often wake up shivering in the middle of the night, resorting to going to her son's room "just to make sure." After all she had lost, if she lost Emilio…

The man Tommy was bringing this time, however, seemed… Different. He had a young girl alongside her – a young, pretty, small yet somewhat mature teenager who could only be around Emilio's age. Already, Emma had a positive feeling: "Yes, maybe this time it could work," she thought. A paternal figure is _exactly _what Emilio needed; if the man had managed to keep her alive (and well enough, she had to admit) for so long, then maybe, just maybe the man's ribs would remain intact for more than a week.

"Well, hello Emma," said Tommy hoarsely. "How's Emilio?"

"Well, why don't you ask him yourself, hun?" replied Emma. "I'm fine too, by the way. No one attempted to rape me for the past month, a welcome change" she added on a slightly miffed tone. The bearded man looked at her - an intimidating look, redolent of the man who had hit Emilio. Stopping towards the young girl, Emma spoke:

"What's your name, young lady? Is that your dad?"

"I'm Ellie, this is Joel. And no, this isn't my dad."

"Well, you could say I'm her dad," interrupted the man. He had a severe, stern voice. Very muscled up, it was clear he was an authentic survivor, by far stronger and smarter than any man she had had to share her house with. "I'm Joel, pleased to meet you."

"Emma. This is my son… EMILIO!" she called.

Slowly, a young boy around Ellie's appeared behind her mother, his hands inside his pockets, bending forward. While relatively small – a few inches shorter than Ellie – he looked strong and relatively in shape. He had long, slender legs and a small visage. His quick, bulging eyes were fixed on Ellie and he observed her in silence, a prosaic look on his face.

"I s'ppose you're all hungry," said Emma cautiously. "Get in, get in, I'll get y'all a little something." Joel shook Emilio's hand; Ellie tried to do the same thing, but the young boy ignored her totally.

"Glad to see things are working," laughed Tommy. He knew his brother would like her. Emma was exactly what Joel needed in his life: smart, strong, hard-working and able to defend herself and those close to her. "Well, I'll let you guys and gals set in – once more, welcome in town, Ellie."

"So you just arrived in town," whispered Emma as she invited them inside. "Figured I'd never seen you before!" Emma was doing her best to be pleasant; some times, especially recently, she had dreamed of a… Of a warm body to sleep next to or, as her ex-husband would sometimes point it out: "someone to share her loneliness with." Almost as soon as they passed the door, Ellie rushed towards the sink, filling a glass we water.

"So it _is _true," said the young girl in awe. "Tap water. In every house." Ellie drank as fast as she could, letting out a single hiccup the moment she was done.

"Hey, this is MY glass!" said Emilio, very nettled. Glasses were a rare commodity and he wasn't about to share his. What if the girl broke it?

"I s'ppose you can share it a little, don't ya? Give them some space 'milio, they're new here."

"Oh, that's even better," replied the boy. The girl looked at him curiously, extending her arm and the glass towards him. "You drank in' it. I dun want it anymore," replied Emilio, shrugging her shoulders.

Without getting distracted, Emma continued tour around the small, prefab house, leading them to the bathroom.

"Shower!" said Ellie. "Really, showers!"

"Like all good things, it's limited. One shower per day, five minutes max," replied the lady. "We alternate a night each. Oh, we have hot water – and soap, too." Emma opened a new bar, letting the young girl smell it: a pleasant-smelling odor of vanilla and eucalyptus.

"For t'night and tomorrow," continued the lady, "we will of course give you two the chance."

"Mom! It's my turn tonightcomplained Emilio. "I dun wanna…"

"'milio!" exclaimed the lady. "Cut it. These people have lived in wilderness and haven't showered in weeks, if not more. I'm sure you can skip a day."

As Ellie looked around, she immediately noticed the small shelf, filled with hundreds of comics. Emilio immediately gasped, tensing up; he had taken them from an abandoned bookshore years ago and had dragged them through everything they had lived.

"Wow there are so many I'm missing, said Ellie. You have the whole collection!"

"Well why don't you take a few?" said Emma.

"MOM! They're mine, there's no way I'm letting her read any of them!" said Emilio, immediately rushing to take them away. They were _his and _her mother were handing them on a silver platter to a complete stranger.

"'milio, you put that back right this instant!" said Emma scornful.

"It's okay, miss," calmly said Ellie, not wanting to cause any trouble. "I was just curious, that's it. I… I don't really want to read them."

"These ones are yours, now," sneered Emma as she grabbed a few, immediately picking on her lie. Emilio opened his mouth in awe: this was pure and simple _theft_. Emma couldn't understand her son's attitude: these books had been sitting on the shelf for the past month. Emilio himself rarely touched them at all and after all there was in this world, it seemed like more than the right thing to do.

Emilio immediately darted to his room, hiding his remaining comics the best he could. But to his surprise, the group immediately followed him.

"And tis' Emilio's room," continued Emma. "Ellie, I been thinking… Heard you traveled a lot and all, so why dun you take it?" Emma pointed at the small bed covered in a natty blue cover. She loved that girl – it reminded Emma of… her. At this moment, Emilio exploded in a burst of rage.

"No freaking way! This is my room!" Even the men who came before were respectful enough to let him keep his room.

"It's okay," said Ellie. "I don't want to impose, I really don't. I'll sleep on the floor in the kitchen, it's already great to have a roof over my head, you know."

"'milio's sleeping in the kitchen," said Emma. She turned towards her son, who was almost in tears. Panicking, rgaing, without thinking, Emilio ran out of the house as fast as he could, slamming the door shut behind him. Emilio was an excellent runner; only when he was almost a mile away did he stop running, still as angry as he was moments earlier. In one afternoon, he had lost almost everything he had – his comics, his shower rights, his soap and even his room - and he hated that girl more than anything else on Earth. The only thing he wanted at that moment was for that girl to just… go away. Disappear.

If only there was a way to get rid of Ellie – and that tall man, too, who would either hit him or his mother sooner or later – then all his problems would be solved. At this precise moment, Emilio wished nothing less than Ellie being gone – for good.

Mere miles away, John Stemper smiled as he glanced over the settlement. Ellie was somewhere in there.


End file.
